Meetings 2008

10th EFAS Meeting
August 23 - 26, 2008
Madrid, Spain

During and in conjunction with the
EFNS Congress 2008

Information & Registration:
EFNS 2008 website: www.efns.org/efns2008

EFAS (preliminary) programme/topics:

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 08:30 – 10:30
(Main Topic 8) Disorders of the autonomic nervous system: from pathophysiology to diagnosis and treatment
Convenor: Christopher Mathias, London, UK
• Central nervous system diseases (Pietro Cortelli, Bologna, Italy)
• Spinal cord injury (Christopher Mathias, London, UK)
• Familial amyloid polyneuropathy: an extraordinary model of peripheral autonomic failure (Teresa Coelho, Porto, Portugal)
• Endocrine or internal disorders (Jens Jordan, Berlin, Germany)

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 11:30 – 13:30
(Teaching Course 11) Autonomic disorders in neurology: diagnosis and management
Course directors: Max Hilz, Erlangen, Germany & Pietro Cortelli, Bologna, Italy
• Autonomic differentiation of MSA & Parkinson's disease (Christopher Mathias, London, UK)
• Sleep disorders in autonomic failure syndromes (Pietro Cortelli, Bologna, Italy)
• Autonomic dysfunction in headache and painful disorders (Heinz Lahrmann, Vienna, Austria)
• Autonomic disorders in GBS and diabetic neuropathy: pathophysiology, clinical relevance and management (Max Hilz, Erlangen, Germany)

In this course we will address some of the most important aspects of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The differential diagnosis between autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and multisystem atrophy may be challenging even for experienced neurologists. So far, sleep disorders have often been neglected in autonomic failure syndromes although they are of high clinical relevance. We will address the close link between headache and painful disorders and autonomic dysfunction. The early diagnosis of autonomic neuropathy is essential for the prognosis of diabetic patients. Similarly, autonomic dysfunction is of primary relevance for the prognosis of Guillain-Barré-Syndrome.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 14:00 – 15:30
( Focused Workshop 12) Transient loss of consciousness: syncope vs. epilepsy
Convenor: J. Gert van Dijk, Leiden, The Netherlands
• Classification and terminology – consciousness and transient loss of consciousness (J. Gert van Dijk, Leiden, The Netherlands)
• Syncope, orthostatic hypotension, neurocardiogenic syncope (Wouter Wieling, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Cardiac metabolic and other causes of transient loss of consciousness (Piotr Kulakowski, Warsaw, Poland)
• Epileptic seizures versus syncope (Philippe Ryvlin, Lyon, France)

The presence of some jerking movements in someone who was temporarily unconscious is often interpreted as evidence of epilepsy, without realisation that syncope can also cause myoclonus. Epilepsy, syncope and a few other attacks form a differential diagnostic group: "transient loss of consciousness (TLOC)". This focused workshop is suited for all clinical and practising neurologists, but also for internists, paediatricians and physicians in other disciplines who need to differentiate the various causes of TLOC.

Sunday, August 24, 2008 15:00 – 17:00
(Special Session) Specific diagnostic tests for autonomic dysfunction
Organiser: Luis Silva Carvalho, Lisbon, Portugal
• Basic and technical aspects of blood pressure and heart rate variability: time- and frequency-domain estimates (Jean-Luc Elghozi, Paris, France)
• Different tests of clinical relevance (Luis Silva Carvalho, Lisbon, Portugal)
• Clinical applications: MSA and Parkinson’s disease (Jean-Michel Sénard, Toulouse, France)
• Biological data processing (practical), analysis of the time, time frequency and frequency domains of biological signals (demonstration) (All speakers)

Autonomic dysfunction is recognised as a key element in the development and progress of many neurological diseases. A correct evaluation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is now considered essential as a good clinical practice in several areas of medicine. In recent years, an increasing number of tests became available for ANS evaluation but some controversy in their application and interpretation of the results made them not always easy to be applied by specialists in fields where ANS pathology is of major relevance such as cardiology, diabetology and, mainly, neurology. The present session was specially shaped for neurologists. A critical review of the state-of-art of ANS testing will be presented and clinical insights in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy will show a practical application of ANS testing. Other clinical situations will be also presented and discussed with the participants of the session.

More information: www.efns.org/efns2008